Court for no leniency towards criminal elements

New Delhi: The need of the hour is to create a deterrent effect on criminal elements to curb peoples` fear against stepping out of their homes, a Delhi court has said.

Additional Sessions Judge Savita Rao made the remarks while sentencing a 24-year-old youth to five years in jail for attempting to murder a man after an unsuccessful bid to rob him.

"It may be noted that such criminal activities, becoming rampant in the society, are not only a threat to the law and order and the peace in the society but has also created fear in the minds of people against moving out of their homes freely," the ASJ said.

"The demand of the hour is to create a deterrent effect for such culprits by dealing with iron hand with them lest such criminal activities rise in the society," the court said while rejecting the convict`s plea for leniency.

The court awarded five-year jail term to Mohd Khurshid for stabbing one Jhujhar Singh in year 2011 after the latter resisted his robbery bid.

Singh told the court that on April 17, 2011, he was accosted by a youth, aged about 24, near the railway track at Zakhira, and was asked to hand him over all his valuables.

Singh said he pleaded with the youth to let him go but the youth, later identified as Khurshid, caught him by the collar.

Singh said at this he slapped Khurshid, who then whipped out a knife and stabbed him below his stomach.

Apprehending that he would be killed, Singh ran towards the factory where he worked and informed other people present there and a call was made to the police.

The court noted the injury caused to Singh was dangerous and the accused was fully aware that it could have proved deadly.